Kissed: part one
by Majenta
Summary: The beginning of Harry's fifth year starts off with a first kiss, and a choice. Harry/Ron and Harry /Colin. Please r&r!


Title: Kissed

Author: Majenta

Rating: PG

Contains: Harry/Ron Harry/Colin

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, though I do like to play with them =)

Note: The prologue is written in all dialogue and chapter one is regular format. So with that out of the way . . . read on!

Prologue

_Ron. Hm? Ron, you awake? Mm, what time is it? Close the window, will you? It's bloody cold for summer. Close it yourself. You're nearest Fine . . . better? Thanks . . . you were thrashing around in your sleep. What were you dreaming about? Don't remember. Yeah right What're you laughing for? _Who_ were you dreaming about? Get stuffed, Harry. . . . Ron? What! Have you ever kissed anyone? Er, no. Me neither, what d'you think it's like. Dunno D'you wanna try it? What? With who? Oh, why Percy, of course. Who do you think I mean? I- Me. . . . have you gone mad? Just to see what it's like. . . . alright . . . close your eyes then . . . keep them shut . . . Mm . . . Harry. That was nice. _

Chapter One

The summer seemed to grind to a slow halt. Leaves were turning early, crumbling like their sense of peace underfoot as they hauled their trunks towards the Ministry car parked outside the Burrow. Hermione yawned and rubbed her eyes, staring out into the clear, chilly dawn. Ron was polishing his wand absent-mindedly on the edge of his sweater. Harry shivered and rubbed his upper arms, feeling gooseflesh prickle up between his fingers. 

He'd managed to sprout a few more inches taller that summer, his hair had grown more untidy and, left uncut, was touching the bottoms of his ears. He ran his hands through it a few times, watching the old house as it rocked subtly in the breeze.

Fred and George came dashing out of the house with Ginny at last and Mrs. Weasley ushered them into the car, her cheeks pink in the cold. Ron, Harry and Hermione were crushed into the back seat with Fred and George. 

"Now," Arthur Weasley looked confused, "Have we forgotten anything this time?"

They shook their heads and the car jerked forward, leaving the countryside in a whirl of color behind them. Ron sighed and yawned, "I wonder who we'll get for Defense Against the Dark Arts this year."

"Someone good, I hope," Harry stared sullenly out the window, unconsciously looking for Hedwig between low clouds. _I wish Sirius would at least write me back, then at least I'd know if the Death Eaters_-

"Harry?" Ron waved a hand before his eyes, "I said: you don't reckon it'll be Snape, do you?"

"Don't even say that!" Harry cried, pushing through his new book bag. Hermione had pulled her homework onto her lap and was flipping through a heavy, black book with dust still clinging to the edges. Harry was looking at Ron out of the corner of his eye, then full on. Ron turned, gave him a small smile and looked towards the window again. _Is he thinking about it?_ Harry wondered. He pushed it out of his mind.

*

As strange as things had seemed over the summer, the fear that everyone had been trying to crush with the mundane, it was still exciting to climb back onto the Hogwarts Express and wave goodbye to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley from the window, pulling their robes from their bags. Ron fastened his about his waist and they settled in their seats, the train giving a shrill blast into the dark station. He whistled under his breath, "I can't believe we're going back to school already."

"I know," Hermione said earnestly, "I had loads that I couldn't get done this summer."

"Yeah, extra work, you mean," Harry and Ron snickered and Ron fished through his pack, his red hair startling in the late morning light. "You want a game of Exploding Snap, Harry?"

"Yeah, sure." That's right, they _could_ use magic again! Strange, even in all this chaos, Harry still loved going back to Hogwarts. Maybe it was because he felt safe there, save that every encounter he'd had with Voldemort had something to do with it. 

Harry and Ron played a few games through until the edge of Harry's sleeve caught fire and they took a break to buy treats from the desert cart. Ron's cheeks turned slightly pink when Harry pushed several chocolate frogs into his hands whispering, "You don't have to pay me back."

"Thanks," Ron's blush deepened.

"Hey Harry!" Harry froze when he heard the voice behind him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Hello Co-"

But it wasn't Colin. It was his younger brother, Dennis. "Oh," Harry tried to mask his mistake, "Hello . . . Dennis. Where's Colin?" _Maybe he's not here this year,_ Harry thought_, but that would be too much good luck._

"He's in our compartment," Dennis said excitedly, rocking forwards and backwards on his heels. "Have a good summer, Harry?"

"Yeah, great." He looked over his shoulder at Hermione who gave him a stern look. "Listen, Dennis, I should really-"

"Don't bother him, Dennis," a soft voice spoke up from down the hall. Harry looked up and a small explosion seemed to happen somewhere in the back of his brain. "Hello, Colin."

But Colin looked different. All the time Harry had known him he'd been small and skinny, his voice high like a girl's. But his voice was deeper now, and the rest of him looked different was well. His hair had grown to his shoulders as he'd grown taller, his shoulders filling out a little. He gave Harry an embarrassed look and ushered his brother back inside their compartment. Harry slid their door shut and sat down, still thinking.

Ron made a face, "What is it? You look like you've just seen Malfoy wearing an "I Love Muggles" t-shirt."

"Wha?" Harry shook his head, "Sorry. Just saw Colin Creevey, I didn't recognize him at first."

"Oh," Ron sounded disinterested but Hermione politely leaned in to talk to him. "Does he look very different?"

"Yeah, taller. And he's hair's longer too. Didn't even run after me with his camera or anything, told his brother off for bothering me. It just through me off, that's all." He looked towards Ron, "What's up with you?"

"Nothing."

"Be nice not to have him following us around this year, won't it?" Harry smiled but the uncertainty lingered. It was strange, that Colin suddenly wasn't interested anymore. _What do you know, _Harry thought_, maybe I liked all that attention a little after all. What a bloody, stupid thought._ He couldn't help laughing at himself.

Chapter Two

"Full Schedule!" Ron moaned, "I can't believe it!" They'd been given their schedules after the feast and Harry, Ron and Hermione were trudging back up to the Griffidor common room. Hermione, who was wearing her prefect badge with a hint of smugness that was reminiscent of Percy, recited the password and let them in. The common room was buzzing with talk. Friends who hadn't spoken over the summer, those discussing the lack of updates in the Daily Prophet. Hermione bustled around trying to get them to quiet down while Harry and Ron called goodnight and headed up towards their familiar dormitory, feeling warm and full. 

"So what d'you think of our new teacher?" Ron asked, smiling. Harry opened his mouth to answer back when he collided softly with another figure on the stairs. Colin drew back, blushing. "Sorry, Harry," he murmured in his new, soft voice. "Alright, Ron?"

"Hey Colin," Ron retorted with a hint of annoyance in his voice. Harry knew why Ron hated Colin so much. The whole time Colin had followed Harry around, he'd treated Ron like a piece of furniture. Obviously, however, this was no longer the case. 

"Sorry," he repeated softly and swept down passed them. Harry gave Ron the same confused look he'd worn on the train. "Weird, isn't he?"

"Barking mad if you ask me," Ron pushed passed him, "Besides, who'd ever want a picture of you anyhow?" He smiled and laughed out loud when Harry pretended to lunge for his neck. When Harry drew away, his fingertips brushed Ron's freckled cheek and they both froze a moment, looking awkward. 

"After you," Ron said finally.  
"No, after you," Harry pretended to bow Ron up the stairs. Their room was familiar and the light from candles danced off the wall like strange water. Harry pulled the drapes away from one side of his bed and threw his trunk open, fishing around for his pajamas. "It is so good to be back here."

"You're worse that Hermione," he mumbled from behind his drapes, tossing his robes onto his trunk. Dean, Seamus and Neville, it seemed, were still talking in the common room. Harry emerged from behind his bed curtains and walked to the window, leaning on his elbows to look out at the sky, brilliant with stars. Shadows were sweeping the broad, green lawns below and the lake reflected black and starlit. Harry sighed and smiled, pressing his nose against the glass.

"Watch out you don't fall through the window," Ron teased, coming up beside Harry in his too-small paisley pajamas. He tugged a hand through his hair which, however straight and limp it had been in the past, was beginning to become strangely unmanageable. When Ron leaned up to look out the window his shoulder brushed against Harry's and he felt an odd twinge in his stomach. _Close your eyes then . . . keep them shut._ He tried to blink it away. 

Ron lay his long-fingered hand on the glass and leaned upon it, looking out over the grounds. "You reckon we should visit Hagrid this weekend."

"Sure," Harry answered distractedly, craning his neck to see the edge of the Quiddich field. "I can't wait till the season starts."

Ron smiled, "Show off." They fell into silence again and Harry's eyes blurred as they searched the midnight landscape. At length, he drew away into shadow again and watched Ron's silhouette still gazing out at the sky. Then he turned as well. "Harry?"

"Hm?"  
"Why're you so quiet?"

"No reason.  
"What're you thinking about?" Ron bit his lip and, even as it was dark, Harry could see that his face was very pink. 

"I'm not think about . . . anything." They looked at each other and Ron opened and closed his mouth a few times. His speechlessness gave Harry an eerie reminder of when he and Ron had been angry with each other the year before. Ron had interrupted Harry's talk with Sirius on accident and had stood speechless as Harry called out angry words at him, even angry that he was too big for his clothes and looked too sad to be fought with. And after Harry'd stormed away, he'd never come back up to bed.

Ron, still biting his lip, took a step forward, then another. Harry's breath caught in his throat when Ron's seriousness melted into laughter. Though his blush did not fade, he lay his hand on Harry's shoulder and raised one eyebrow, "Should we try it again, you think?"

They both laughed awkwardly, laughed a little too loudly. It was their way of telling each other that they'd both been thinking about the other night. Smiling, they said goodnight and crawled into their separate beds, Harry's head still spinning. _Maybe I shouldn't have asked him,_ he thought into the darkness of his canopy, _maybe I should never have asked him._


End file.
